Physical activity and sedentary lifestyle in children with type 1 diabetes: a multicentre Italian study

Abstract BACKGROUND: Regular Physical Activity (RPA) is one of the cornerstones of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) therapy, but conflicting results are reported in the literature. AIM: To compare (RPA) and Sedentary Lifestyle (SL) among children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and healthy peers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seven Italian paediatric diabetes centres enrolled 129 children with T1D and 214 healthy peers who were interviewed by a telephone questionnaire on physical activity level, sedentary lifestyle and clinical data. RESULTS: Compared to healthy peers, children with T1D: performed the same amount of RPA, were more frequently engaged in team sports (p = 0.018), described RPA as an enjoyable activity (p = 0.033), not boring (p = 0.035), a chance to spend time with peers (p = 0.033) and to meet new friends (p = 0.016). Children with T1D were finally used to consume less snacks during watching TV (p < 0.001) or after physical activity (p < 0.001 ). HbA1c values were not related with time spent in physical activity, in watching TV or in playing video-games. CONCLUSIONS: Most interviewed children with T1D are physically active and perform the same amount of exercise as their healthy peers. They demonstrate to consider RPA a source of enjoyment and sociality and not a therapeutic imposition